EPÓNIMOS EN LOS NOMBRES CIENTÍFICOS DE AVES: UN PATRIMONIO HISTÓRICO–CULTURAL DE LA ORNITOLOGÍA CHILENA Eponyms in the scientific names of birds: a historical–cultural heritage of Chilean ornithology

The scientific names of avifauna refer to species morphology, behavior, habitat or geographicdistribution as well as indigenous languages and eponyms. Eponyms are scientific names inspired by real peopleor mythological beings. Typically, these names are assigned by taxonomists to bird specimens collected bytravelers, naturalists, and collectors as objects of study, and belong to collections, cabinets and museums in theNorthern Hemisphere. In this study, the eponyms of scientific names of birds of Chile were collected and analyzed.Considering genus and species, 74 bird names can be recognized as eponyms. These names were firstorganized in categories by bird genus, then classified by nationality and gender of the honored person or theirmost likely symbolic association. For each eponym, a biographic sketch was included. Most Chilean eponymsbelong to birds of the order Procellariiformes (N=20) and honor a real person (N=55), all of whom are foreigners(e.g.. Lesson, Pentland, Baird). Only 11 refer to mythological creatures (i.e. Rhea, Oceanites, Progne). Eponymsare “entry points” to the local and international ornithological history, revealing the trajectory, values, and deedsof early promoters of Chilean ornithology. Therefore, the study of eponyms contributes to better understand thehistorical context of these promoters and their relationship with Chile. This work links biological social scientificand humanities disciplines, an exercise which helps broaden temporal, spatial and biocultural dimensions of avifauna.KEYWORDS.– Birds of Chile, ornithology, scientific names, eponyms.